


year after year

by fshep



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Rivals to Friends to Lovers, Snapshots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-16 21:08:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29830950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fshep/pseuds/fshep
Summary: All they need is time and each other.
Relationships: Gold/Silver (Pokemon Adventures), Hibiki | Ethan/Silver
Comments: 1
Kudos: 22





	year after year

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this (checks watch) _eleven years ago_ and thought it was still pretty sweet so after some HEAVY editing i thought i’d repost it here in case somebody else might read it. enjoy!
> 
> (who is ethan???)

_Where are you?_

Not wholly a question—markedly, a demand. Stark words on Gold's Pokégear that didn't need to be said aloud for Gold to hear the urgent connotation behind them. The name at the top, Silver, had him blinking in confusion before he pieced together that it was Tuesday, his spitfire of a rival was texting him, and he was in _Kanto._

A hand met his forehead with a hearty slap. He forgot to tell Silver where he was going! Tuesdays were reserved for not only battling, but visiting, his companion in the Dragon's Den. It’d never been explicitly stated outright, but Gold hadn’t missed a week yet. 

_Sorry!_ he replied immediately. He spared a moment to be impressed that Silver actually reached out to him first. _I didn’t tell you, did I? I made it to Kanto! Isn't it great? I've been battling the gym leaders here for more badges (I just beat Brock), and then I think I'll challenge the Elite Four again. There are also rumors about a place, Mt. Silver(!!!), where the previous Kanto champion awaits challengers!_

It was a very long time until Silver replied. All par for the course, though; Silver really was awful at texting. 

So in the meanwhile, Gold tended to his Typhlosion by brushing the fur underneath her blazing mane and filing her claws. Though Silver had the tendency to make fun of him for putting so much care in his team, his perspective seemed to shift and evolve with the more time he spent alongside Gold. Maybe, just maybe, Pokémon could be more than means to triumph in battle.

Besides, Gold thought shamelessly, Silver's not the best battler out there. His opinion on Gold’s doting didn’t hold much weight with a losing streak as long as his. 

Gold preferred to refer to it as _room for improvement_ rather than form countless losses into an insult, as Silver would do bluntly and mercilessly if he had the chance.

But Silver wasn’t a bad battler, per se. He had a sharp mind that processed type matchups, buffs, and debuffs faster than Gold ever could. No, he’d never _beaten_ Gold, but that could change at any time! Gold had complete faith in his growth. He’d seen so much of it firsthand, after all, and this was only the beginning. 

"Flare, what do you think of that Charizard? Weird, huh?" he mused to the Pokémon parked in front of him as his free hand absentmindedly trailed along her light, honey-colored coat. 

The Typhlosion looked from her master to the Pokémon in question. She let out a disinterested huff through her nose. Gold laughed. He hadn't meant to imply she go breed with it or anything like that. It was just that… all of these Kanto-native Pokémon were new to him! He couldn’t contain himself from whipping out his Pokédex nearly every moment of the day, tripping over his own feet to do so. At least the professor would be happy with his findings. 

The moment came when the sun was dipping just underneath the Pewter City rooftops: Silver replied.

_It's fine. I should be apologizing for the delay. Bad reception in the den—you know how it gets. Anyway, I was just curious. That’s all._

That doesn’t sound right, Gold thought. He was surely disappointed! Either that, or Gold was just projecting. Maybe Silver didn’t look forward to their meetups the way that Gold did. But they were becoming so close now, he couldn't help but think that, one day, they would be _best_ _friends_. Right now, he had to take it slow and steady in fear of scaring him away. Silver could get anxious like that (he fled—a lot), but Gold didn't think it was an off-putting trait. It was just… him. 

That wasn’t all. Gold never had any trouble with his Pokégear reception in the Dragon's Den. Why did Silver? Odd, but he'd let it go for now.

He ventured along the road leading to Mt. Moon, Pokégear glued between his palms with bright eyes focused single-mindedly on its dim screen. He strained to type a response in the darkness, eventually giving up in frustration and shoving the device back into his pocket. There was a Pokémon center just next to the cave, he read earlier, and that's where he'd crash for the night, as well as get some light so he could send a proper response back to his friend.

A group of older trainers were just exiting the Center when Gold came along. He stood a polite distance away from the entrance while they exchanged goodbyes, blushing and averting his gaze when two of them shared a quick kiss. When they all cleared out and silence reigned once more, his ears subconsciously strained; if he heightened his concentration just a tad more, he could hear a faint _flap flap flap_ emitting from the Mt. Moon entryway.

As exciting as it’d be to run into a Clefairy, he knew this wasn’t the encounter he intended to have sometime between now and whenever he made it out of the cave. It must be a Zubat. With the accompanying footsteps crunching through dirt and gravel at a rapid pace, Gold surmised that some poor trainer simply had _enough_ of those pesky bats. 

Flare, the massive entity next to him, stared expectantly when he stood still and simply listened. She radiated both light and warmth, so he had no issues with just waiting, his curiosity overpowering. 

There was a voice. The scratch of claws. A dull, "Oh, you found the entrance. Remind me to never again rely on you to get us through a cave. I'll do it like any other normal person and use flash."

A spot of red. Gold grinned.

"Maybe he's still in Pew…" Silver’s words trailed off as soon as he spotted the boy and his Typhlosion standing a few feet from him. As if immediately robbed of the ability to speak, he said no more and looked steadfastly at the ground beneath his boots. It was as if he knew Gold was going to rush forward and do the talking for him. 

"Silver! Hello Golbat, Sneezy," he recited kindly, acknowledging the apparent cave guide and Silver’s dearest Sneasel attaching himself to Silver's back like a chilly little rucksack. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you," he blurted out. It sounded genuine for all of its stiffness. "If you're going to wander aimlessly around my home region, I want in."

Gold's eyes widened. It was very like Silver to be so bold and presumptuous, assuming Gold would welcome the company—which, of course, he did with open arms. "Okay! Oh, man. Come on, we were just going to rest up in the center." He gave Silver a once-over and couldn't restrain his laugh at his rumpled clothes and fire-bright hair spilling from its hasty ponytail. "You don't look like you had much fun in Mt. Moon. I'll make dinner while you get washed up."

Silver raised an eyebrow, but his feet carried him toward the Center doors. "You cook?"

"What else am I supposed to do, starve?"

"There are restaurants around every corner…"

"I don't have unlimited funds," he whined, a pout overtaking his lips. Silver huffs, so he adds, "I never accept winnings unless I absolutely need it—or if I'm forced to by the kind old ladies, ha ha—and I mostly use it on supplies for my friends.” He offered a lazy hand gesture in Flare's direction. "It's a good routine. I don't mind fixing my own meals. Besides, I like to think I'm a good chef. I guess you'll be the judge of that." He elbowed the other boy playfully.

Silver lapsed into silence, an uncomfortable expression tugging at his delicate features. _He_ had money now, and though it was dirty, Gold was relieved he didn’t have to scrape by on theft and battling to survive at the age of thirteen anymore. 

It was a treatment that Gold was not bothered by; he understood by the facial expressions Silver probably didn't realize he was making. He was prone to overthinking about stuff that didn’t even matter—so Gold took it upon himself to direct Silver’s thoughts elsewhere, starting with the tale of how he overcame the Pewter City gym leader. 

* * *

For the next four years, they traveled together. They fought, they made up, they came into their own and learned everything about one another and themselves along the way. When Gold left sometime after they finished mapping the region of Hoenn, that camaraderie left behind an open, aching wound. 

Sinnoh was fine. It didn’t fill him with the same awe he felt when he and Gold traversed through treetop and _ocean-_ top cities, nor did it excite him the way it had when they decorated their first secret base.

There was some grass. A bush or two, some trees. A fisherman down the road—Alec, if Silver recalled correctly, but he wasn’t good with names, never had been. The only name that held any weight was Gold. 

There was also sun. Even Sneezy (now a Weavile, but Gold insisted that he couldn’t change his nickname after so many years) had retreated into his ball. The time was at least midday, and he was somewhere near Sunnyshore City. He would get burned if he didn’t take shelter from the sunlight soon.

He hoped it was damn well worth it to come here. Gold wouldn't shut up about it.

… But it wasn't as dramatic as it sounded. Gold was practically begged by his mother to take a break from region-hopping. Silver couldn’t blame her; normal parents love their kids, or whatever. Though it was commonplace for trainers to leave home at such a young age, that didn’t mean she couldn’t miss him. Perhaps he was being a little greedy by keeping Gold away from her for so long. 

If he said that Gold, he knew he’d get a stern, defiant opposition. No, it wasn't his fault, never was. Though he was the one that ultimately initiated their partnership (and suggested exploring all of the regions), Gold accepted. He wasn’t a prisoner; he could go home at any time. 

Still, Silver was lonely. He and his Pokémon were closer than ever, but it wasn’t the same. He could pretend all he wanted that he and his companions were having full-fledged conversations, but for all that he could now interpret their moods, he had _no idea_ what they were saying. 

He pulled out his Pokétch—something he had picked up back in Jubilife. Just when he had gotten used to the Pokégear (and how to text somewhat efficiently), some newfangled tech had come out to taunt him again. He only had one because Gold wanted it. Silver bought two of them—matching.

Boy, he was pathetic, sulking about like this. If only he had Gold’s proficiency for social interaction. He made a few friends throughout their travels, but that didn’t mean he had any idea how to message one of them. He couldn't fight his mulishness, though, so he simply reflected and— _hey, is that him?_

"Silver! Yooooo!"

Smiling came more naturally to him now, but this—it hurt his cheeks with the force of it. Gold closed the distance between them, looking…

Well, he looked good. Reenergized. He must have gotten a haircut while he was back in Johto, though his locks were still unruly as ever. He wore a sleeveless hoodie, full arms on display. Silver didn’t flinch like he would have a few years ago at the way they outstretched toward him and wrangled him into a hug. 

"What? It's only been a few weeks or so." Silver's words are airy, bordering on breezy, thanks to the way Gold squeezed all of the oxygen from his lungs. 

Hesitantly, the Silver returned the gesture. It was their first hug, he realized dumbly; they had never parted for this long once they began traveling together, and Silver was too afraid to initiate affection without full certainty it wouldn’t be rejected or regarded with even a small measure of distaste. He let it last longer than what was probably considered normal to make up for lost time. Gold smelled fresh, like ocean spray and suntan lotion and berries. Silver wondered if Gold could feel his heart pounding in his chest. 

Maybe a bit of distance between them now and again wasn’t so bad after all. It made their time _together_ even sweeter. 

* * *

At twenty, Gold’s mom had long stopped asking if Gold was ever going to settle down. At first, she had texted Silver to check up on her son. Now, she treated him like _he_ was her son too, sending over recommendations for places to eat that had been suggested by a colleague, or rumors of rare Pokémon sightings near a route they were exploring. 

They were camping in a field within the Kalos region. Silver allowed himself to be wrestled down by Gold (more like pushed, really, with Silver’s lithe frame no match for Gold’s strength) when he claimed the last of their sinfully decadent chocolates. He writhed at the feel of grass tickling his sides until he realized with a start that it was _Gold’s fingers_ dusting over the slim stretch of skin exposed by Silver’s shirt riding up.

He assumed he was about to be tormented with squabbling fingertips, and so he opened his mouth to warn Gold against such a heinous crime—but he’s interrupted by Gold's lips on his own, silencing him with surprising finesse. He was too stunned to move or speak or do much of anything other than _process._

Gold pulled away. The air was thick, silent.

"I'm… er, sorry."

"No," Silver managed to wheeze out when his brain managed to catch up with the current events. "Don’t be. I'm just … you… caught me off guard, is all." They had been traveling together for nearly seven years now and Gold was _far_ from subtle. How he managed to keep his feelings hidden from Silver was a mystery greater than the Unknown. Unless, of course, this had only been an impulse. He buried that thought beneath the weight of his hopes. "... You're still sitting on me. You’re heavy, you know."

"Oh… really?" He smirked, and much like any other time he donned that expression, Silver was on guard for whatever might come next. "Silver—!" he proclaimed loudly and obnoxiously. "I'm," he pointed to himself, "going," a gesture of his hands that mimicked a person walking, "to kiss..." He puckered his lips unflatteringly and struck a pose. "You! And I'm not getting up!"

Silver tried to hold in a laugh but failed terribly. The way Gold gazed at him in response, though… that sobered him up—and swiftly banished the doubts creeping around in Silver’s mind. "Okay," he said. 

So when he was gently pushed onto the grass again, he trembled as a result of the tenderness that Gold put forward. Butterfrees in his stomach, in his chest—each nerve alight with energy and expectation. Warm hands cradled either side of Silver's face, and instead of initiating another kiss, he leaned forward to rest his forehead against his counterpart's.

Silver was more surprised by this than the kiss itself. Playfulness was replaced with tentativeness unlike Gold. Because of that, Silver lifted a hand of his own to tangle into the dark, fluffy mass of Gold's hair—not to urge him into another kiss, but to slowly trace his fingertips along the scalp and encourage his friend to relax.

Gold submitted to the petting with a blissed-out sigh. Then, he rolled over and landed with an unceremonious thud. "Never mind. I think I'll wait."

Silver turned to him and propped himself up on an elbow. "What? Why?" The words were barely out of his mouth before he realized this was all part of Gold's plan.

"So I could see your disappointed pout."

"I don't—I’m _not—Gold_ ," he groaned, lashing out to thump him against his chest before lying back down. "Whatever, we'll play it your way. We always do."

"Are you saying you have a different way? A _better_ way?" he sing-songs. _Flirtatiously._

His face burns. "I'm not saying anything."

Gold seemed to mull this over for a few moments before inching his hand over to Silver's. It was an unspoken question, and Silver answered it more readily than twitter of them anticipated. The hold was just a little bit awkward, but only because of its newness. More importantly, it was welcome. 

Hell, Silver had gotten used to everything else Gold put him through. This wouldn't be any different.


End file.
